It was almost two weeks since Herbert had seen his new friends off on the night train to Paris; from where Newkirk had travelled to Calais and boarded the ferry to Dover. LeBeau and Kinch had planned to stay in Paris for a few days, reliving old adventures, before parting company and returning to their respective homes.
Herbert found it surprising, how much he missed their company. More than that, he felt as though he'd lost something; some kind of link to the lost history of the old prison camp. It still haunted him; long-gone voices spoke to him in his dreams, and his waking hours often seemed less real to him than the past about which he knew so little.
He had tried to explain about the distant voices to Kinch, who seemed the most approachable of the old prisoners; but his courage had failed him. It was all so vague and fantastical; why would anyone believe it?
So here it was, twelve days after the three old soldiers had left, and he had not made the slightest progress in his resolve to find out all about the history of Stalag 13. He arrived home from work at seven o'clock in a despondent humour.
"There is Bratwurst for dinner," his wife said, "with potato salad. And a letter has come for you, from Paris. It is on the hall table."
This was unusual enough to pique his interest. He studied the envelope for a few seconds, his mood lightening; then opened it.
Dear Herbert,
Just wanted to say thanks, on behalf of all three of us, for giving us a chance to spend some time running around on memory lane. We had a great time and I don't think any of us will ever forget it.
The boys thought you seemed pretty interested in the old days, so we got together and sent word round to anyone we could think of who might have stories to tell. You should start getting some interesting yarns in your mailbox any time soon.
I hope we can keep in touch. It was a real pleasure getting to know you, and since you're so hot on the old place, we'd like to consider you an honorary Stalag 13 POW.
Best wishes.
Kinch.
Herbert smiled. In fact, he had to suppress a giggle. Somehow, they had understood, and it wouldn't be long before some of the old tales would be told...
Just a reminder that the posting date for the Short Story Speed Writing Challenge is this coming Saturday, 23 June 2018.